Virginia Catherine Owens Gibbs Abbott

Virginia Catherine Owens Gibbs Abbot, “Ginger” age 87, of Canton Georgia, passed away Tuesday January 4, 2022, in Littleton, Colorado. Ginger was born January 27, 1934, in Brooklyn, NY to Virginia Alma Maxwell Owens and Hardy Joseph Owens. Her mother died shortly after giving birth and Ginger was lovingly raised in Miami, FL by Mattie Lee Taylor Tombley and Anthony C. Tombley.

Ginger graduated from Miami Jackson Senior High, Lindsey-Hopkins Technical College, and Miami Dade College. She worked as a Medical Assistant and Operating Room Technician. Ginger loved teaching and helped many establish their own careers as the owner of Georgia Medical, a vocational training school.

A lover of nature she enjoyed scenic rides in the North Georgia Mountains especially in her convertible. She nurtured a love of animals in all her children and her favorite creature was the “red bird.”

Ginger was an active member of Woodstock Baptist Church. She loved beauty but the simplest things made her happy. She enjoyed entertaining, decorating, and flower arranging and demonstrated her considerable talent at many church and family events.

She learned Spanish and certified as a State of Georgia Court Interpreter, volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, and taught English as a second language and citizenship classes. She also learned to play the mandolin and certified as a real estate appraiser, notary public, and commercial bus driver. She enjoyed driving buses for church outings and during the Olympic Games. For many years she volunteered at the Georgia National Cemetery supporting Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day services and at the annual Atlanta Peachtree Road Race.

Ginger was preceded in death by her parents; husband Robert J. Abbott; former husband Monte Banks Gibbs; son Jeffery Dean Gibbs; sister Elizabeth Owens Myers; brothers Hardy Joseph Owens Jr. and James Phillip Owens.

She is survived by her brother A. Lee Owens; children, Colleen Gibbs Lightfoot (Gary), Eric Banks Gibbs, Tricia Gibbs, and Katie Gibbs Krueger (Eric); grandchildren Jennifer Sinift Morgan (Scott), Brian Sinift, Ashley Gibbs Foss (David), Jeffrey Dean Gibbs (Kaitlyn), Jackson Krueger, Nathan Krueger, and Kendall Krueger; great-grandchildren Bradley Carroll Sinift, Joseph Morgan, Georgia Foss, and Reagan Gibbs; and dear friends Jane Webb and Joyce Powell. She also leaves many other friends and family (related biologically and beyond) who will miss her spunk and sense of adventure.

A celebration of Life will be held in Spring 2022 in Beaufort, SC. All are invited. Please check website https://www.eventcreate.com/e/ginger-monte-celebration for information.

In lieu of flowers a donation can be made to her favorite charities, www.aspca.org or www.stjude.org.